


Servatorem

by MysteryTickingNoise



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, It's a very long story so it has a bit of everything, Jk do not interact, Not Canon Compliant, slytherin MC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:40:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24734041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysteryTickingNoise/pseuds/MysteryTickingNoise
Summary: After years of reading fairy tales and constantly being told she was strange, Merciful Karrae always dreamed of running away to some magical world. Now she's been formally invited to one, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. Still the odd one out, will she be able to make this rather dangerous adventure worthwhile?
Relationships: Golden Trio and Original Female Character, Neville Longbottom/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Dedication and Notes

1\. This story is dedicated to the rest of the trans community. If you're reading this then here's to us not letting that awful woman take this away from us.

2\. Seriously, JK, you can pry this story from my cold dead hands.

3\. Fun fact! The very first draft in this story was created in 2014-15. I hope you're as grateful as me that I waited to publish this.

4\. Many details have been changed or edited out for the sake of Merciful's story, or due to being gross/bigoted. I'm sure there are things that can be described as the latter that I missed and you are more than welcome to tell me. I'll do my best to make everyone comfortable.

5\. If you can not handle characters you don't like being written OOC for the sake of fanfiction then you won't like this. You know who you are.


	2. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An introduction to Merciful

_I'm swimming, in deep green water. Fish swim close by, circling my head and I can't help but think they're trying to greet me. I laugh._

_I laugh, and I remember that I can breathe. That I can stay right here for a little while and I'll be okay. It's wonderful._

_But it doesn't matter how long I'd like to stay because a hand grabs mine and pulls me up. "Let's go," says a kind voice, and I breach the surface._

"Time to get up, let's go!" A much more abrasive voice is what pulled Merciful out of the strange dream. She sat up with a gasp, bumping her head on the ceiling as a harsh reminder that hitting double digits had earned her the top bunk in this particular home.

Despite it being summer, the older kids had to get up at 7:30 every morning. They had to take care of the animals, water the garden, make breakfast, and take care of the younger kids. She was lucky to get the third, she had picked up on cooking quickly and the girl who was teaching her was perhaps the nicest in the house.

Of course, that wasn't saying much.

She had lived there for months now and still felt like a zombie, going through the motions, doing her chores. It could be worse, that's what she always told herself. She had a bed, three meals a day. It was fine.

The 'family' would eat together, at the table, in silence (which Mercy couldn't stand, but that was the unspoken rule) before they were free for a few hours before the next round of chores. The couple housing them would bug off and the other kids would find some way to have fun, a lot of times at her expense. Which is why she learned to escape as soon as breakfast was cleaned up.

She didn't mind being alone or spending her time in the woods. No matter where she went, or how hard she tried to fit in she always stuck out. And once something a bit too strange happened around her, well, she could safely call a place a lost cause.

But in the woods, she could just climb trees and watch storm clouds in little clearings and be herself. When strange things happened, they just happened. When animals got too close, she could just enjoy the company without someone shooing them away. Like this afternoon, when an owl decided to come by as she was reading.

That was something the little girl hadn't seen so close before. "Hi there..." She said softly, her voice barely going above a whisper as she didn't want to scare it away. She very slowly reached her hand out towards it. There was a very tiny piece of her mind scolding her, reminding her about all she'd learned from science class, starting with rabies. She ignored this piece. "I'm Mercy."

The last thing she expected the owl to do was drop a rolled-up piece of paper into her hand, but that's exactly what happened. It took a few good hops back as if it was waiting for her to read it. It took her a little bit to pull out the knot of the red ribbon around it before she could unravel it. She wasn't in much of a hurry, having no idea that what was written on the paper would change her entire life.

 **"** **HOGWARTS** **SCHOOL** **_of_ ** **WITCHCRAFT** **_and_ ** **WIZARDRY**  
 **Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**  
 **(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand** **Sorc** **.,** **Chf** **. Warlock, Supreme** **Mugwumo** **, International** **Confed** **. of Wizards)**

 **Dear Ms.** **Karrae** **,**

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.**

**Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.**

**Your's sincerely,**

**Minerva McGonagall**

**Deputy Headmistress"**

As Mercy pinched the paper between her fingers, the second page revealed itself. Just like the letter said, it was a list of books and supplies, all of which sounded ridiculous. A book of spells, another for potions, something by a guy named Newt. Not to mention the wand or cauldron.

But at the same time, it sounded wonderful. _Wonderfully strange_. If this was real, if there really was a school of people with magic, maybe she wouldn't have to be so strange anymore. Maybe she would belong.

She jumped to her feet with a delighted squeal, not thinking until after that she didn't have an owl of her own and that if she spooked this one her chance was gone. Lucky for her it didn't seem bothered at all. "Okay, okay..." She thought out loud, pacing a bit in her hyper state. "I-I don't even know where Hogwarts is...or where to buy a magic wand."

She froze in place as a horrible realization hit her. "I don't have _money_." She ran her hands through her dark hair in frustration before turning to the owl. "Alright, I have to tell them, right? Maybe they'll help me. They let me borrow things at my old school. Just...please stay, so I can write back. Please?"

The bird just squawked at her and shook a bit, so Mercy took that as a yes and ran back in the direction of the house as fast as she could. She shoved the letters in her back pocket without a second thought to the book she left behind. She was so excited she almost ran straight into her foster mother. "Vivianne, I'm sorry," She paused to catch her breath, rarely having to run that far or fast before now. "I wasn't looking. Excuse me." She tried to slide past the tall woman but she grabbed her arm and pulled her back to where she was standing before.

She looked Mercy up and down and frowned deeply at her messy state, clothes stained and twigs decorating the tangles through her hair. "Why are you running?" She asked in her gritty southern accent.

"I...um..." _'I was running to get a marker so an owl could deliver a letter to magic school.'_ Merciful could often be described as naive, but even she knew that saying that would just get her into trouble. "I was playing a game."

Vivianne crossed her arms with a huff, making a point to stand over the already scrawny girl even more. "You needed to be back 20 minutes ago. We called for you."

"I-I didn't hear. I'm sorry Ma'am, won't happen again." She tucked her shaky arms behind her back as she spoke.

"...Go inside, it's your turn to clean the den. " Viv said, earning a quick nod from Merciful who started speedwalking towards the door. "And hurry up, we're leaving as soon as you're done."

Merciful's heart dropped, and she spun around on her heel. "Where are we going?"

"Cousin Zach's house."

It was her turn to have nothing but disapproval (perhaps even disgust,) though she put everything she had into hiding it. Going to 'cousin Zachs' meant they wouldn't be home until the middle of the night, the little kids would have to be woken up just go home, and at some point every adult there would find a way to make them all uncomfortable. Not to mention, there would be no escape for her from the others. "Can I stay?" She asked quietly.

Of course, anyone could see she was out of luck when Viv started her answer with a condescending laugh. "Here by yourself? I don't think so, little miss. Go."

"Yes ma'am." Mercy made her way inside with her head held low, spending the rest of her day contemplating that maybe it was some kind of joke and she wouldn't be missing anything. It did sound too good to be true, she would've just embarrassed herself, right?

But even at two in the morning, she couldn't put her thoughts to rest. She slowly snuck off her bunk and brought her notebook into the kitchen so she could write under the stove light.

**"Dear Mrs. McGonagall**

**I really want to go to your school, if I really am a wizard which I didn't know I was but thats super cool, but I don't know where it is. And I don't think my foster parents would let me go if I asked for there help.  
**

**If anybody could help me I would be very thankful and if this is a mistake I'm sorry to bother you.**

**Sincerly  
Merciful A Karrae"**

She felt awfully silly when she was done, but she was too scared of getting caught to try and rewrite it **.** She rolled up her sloppy response and tied a hair tie around itbefore stealing her foster brother's sweater and going outside. **  
**

There's really no way to describe the dread she felt when she stepped outside. From the minute she shut the door she was engulfed in the dark and her breathing immediately picked up. It wasn't even quiet, bugs and frogs singing together as loud as they could. _'I can do this, I can do this.There's nothing in the dark.'_ She kept moving forward, around the house, and to the edge of the woods before her feet were frozen in place once again. She desperately wanted to learn that magic was real, to escape this place, to be a part of something special. But she _also_ desperately wanted to avoid being eaten by a cougar. Or a coyote. Or some sort of horrific shadow monster.

For a moment she thought it might be too late to turn back, hearing something come up behind her quickly. One deep breath later she spun around with letter help up like a baseball bat to see...nothing. Confused and slightly more anxious she looks around, then down. "Oh." She chuckled at the elderly chihuahua at her feet, wagging his tail back and forth excitedly. The dog was usually quite vicious despite his size but for whatever reason he had a soft spot for her. She squatted down to his level and scratched behind his ears. "Did they forget you out here again? That's okay, you can walk with me bud."

With newfound confidence she marched into the woods, Sammy trailing happily behind her. She had a vague idea where she had met the owl and did her best to remember the path she took before, despite feeling incredibly lost she kept on. Maybe an hour later she stumbled across her forgotten chapter book. "Um, owl...? _Mr_. Owl...?" She called out, pulling her sweater closer in an attempt to warm up. After waiting in the clearing for a minute she cupped her hands over her mouth and did her best owl call, to no avail. She felt like she had been standing there forever before tears began to sting her eyes. _'Why would it stay in one spot because I asked it to? How stupid can I be?'_ She sat down and put her face in her hands.

She still had the original letter, in fact she had gotten a papercut from messing with it so much, so she knew she hadn't imagined it. Just like she hadn't imagined the sharp pain in her arm. " _Ow_! What the-" She looked over into two large yellow eyes, as the owl squawked into her face with a tone that could only be described as impatience. After she processed the situation, she squealed and laughed. "Oh my god! Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Alright, take this to McGonagall please." She brushed a little dirt off her letter before giving it to the angry bird, who didn't stop making noises to itself as it took the paper and flew away.

She watched it disappear into the sky before she couldn't help herself but do a little dance in the moonlight.


End file.
